YAHN
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Hey there! My name is Michael — welcome to my project. I’d like to tell you a bit about myself, and why You Are Here Now (YAHN) means so much to me.
I grew up in a home shaped by trauma, poverty, and instability. There was abuse in my family, and like many who experience childhood trauma, I internalized the belief that I wasn’t safe — or enough.
But I never stopped pushing forward. I graduated at the top of my class, earned a bachelor's degree in physics a year early, and built a career in IT. For a while, I had one of those dream “work from home, make good money” jobs. But deep down, I knew I needed something more. Something meaningful.
That calling became impossible to ignore after my daughters were born — especially my youngest, who was born with serious heart defects. She had her first heart surgery at just two days old. Another at two weeks. And five more before she turned six.
She’s doing great now — kind, smart, and more compassionate than anyone I’ve ever known. Through all the procedures, pain, and uncertainty, she smiled. She connected. She helped others. Her joy lit a fire in me.
Inspired by her resilience — and by the care we received from doctors and nurses — I left IT. I started working at the children’s hospital where she’d had her surgeries. During the pandemic, I took advantage of remote learning, completed an MBA in healthcare administration, and began a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program.
I wanted to be part of something bigger. I wanted to help others the way we had been helped. At the hospital, I saw more kids who reminded me of my own story — kids facing trauma, neglect, and impossible odds. And I started asking:
You Are Here Now is my answer to those questions. YAHN is a vision to meet people where they are — using the best tools we have, including integrative AI — to create something warm, welcoming, and real. A safe space. A place for connection. A place for guidance, hope, and healing.
Most of all, I want to bring us together — because we’ve all been through something. And too often, we think we have to go through it alone.
But you don’t. You’re here. Now. And that’s enough.
Mission: To remind each person: you are here, now—and that’s enough.
What we’re building:
Who we are: Just regular people with jobs, kids, and full plates—building something extraordinary through care, resilience, and vision.
If this mission resonates with you, we welcome your support and collaboration.